Methods and systems for presenting specialized content using campaign metrics

ABSTRACT

A computer-implemented method of providing specialized media on a website is disclosed. The method includes producing campaign media which is delivered to a user through a third-party provider. After the user has received the campaign media, and upon indication of a request from the user to access a website controlled by a content provider, specialized media on a website controlled by the content provider may be provided. Providing the specialized media may be done based on the campaign media previously delivered to the user through the third-party provider.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/830,719, filed on Mar. 14, 2013, which claims the benefit of priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) to U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/647,236, filed May 15, 2012, the disclosures of each of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties for all purposes.

TECHNICAL FIELD

Various exemplary embodiments disclosed herein relate generally to providing media on the Internet. Specifically, various exemplary embodiments relate to providing specialized media on a content provider's website.

BACKGROUND

Marketers and advertisers generally use a number of different media channels when implementing a marketing campaign for a product or a brand. Such marketing channels can include print, television, radio, and online advertisements, direct mail, electronic mail, social media, and online affiliate networks, among others. However, many of such marketing and advertising channels have been notoriously difficult to measure. As a result, marketers and advertisers had difficulty determining the effectiveness of a marketing campaign, or determining the effectiveness of specific media channels used within the marketing campaign.

While technical details makes some measurement of online advertisement effectiveness easier, such metrics only cover direct advertisement effectiveness, such as click-through rates. Rarely do current metrics properly measure the effectiveness of less direct marketing campaigns or brand management strategies that reward long-term exposure through different marketing channels.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment of a system that provides specialized media to a user on a content provider's website.

FIG. 2 illustrates an embodiment of a system that provides specialized media to a user on a content provider's website based on the user's previous exposure to the marketing campaign.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart for an embodiment of a method of providing specialized media to a user on a content provider's website.

DESCRIPTION OF THE TECHNOLOGY

The technology, in one embodiment, features a campaign server that provides specialized media for a website visited by a guest, where the content of the specialized media is based on previous campaign media that was previously presented to the guest by other third-party providers. The technology, in one embodiment, features a campaign server that tracks campaign media that is presented to a guest by other third-party providers and measures the overall exposure the guest has to a media campaign.

In one aspect, there is a method, implemented on a computer, to provide specialized media on a website. The computer controlled by a media campaign provider produces campaign media. The campaign media is delivered to a user through at least one third-party provider. The computer receives an indication of a request from the user to access a website controlled by a content provider after the user has received the campaign media. The computer also provides specialized media on the website controlled by the content provider based on the campaign media previously delivered to the user through the at least one third-party provider.

In another aspect, there is a method, implemented on a computer, of tracking a user's exposure to a media campaign. The computer controlled by a media campaign provider produces campaign media. The campaign media is delivered to a user through at least one-third party provider. The computer transmits tracking material when the user is first exposed to the campaign media. The tracking material measures a plurality of campaign media delivered to the user through the at least one-third party provider. The computer also receives measurements of the tracking material.

In yet another aspect, there is a method where the computer ranks a plurality of campaign media provided to the user. The plurality of campaign media includes the campaign media delivered to the user through the at least one third-party provider.

In yet another aspect, there is a method where the campaign media is provided to the user through multiple third-party providers.

In yet another aspect, there is a method where the user does not engage with the campaign media when delivered through the at least one third-party provider.

In yet another aspect, there is a method where the campaign media comprises a pixel that enables the computer to track a plurality of the campaign media delivered to the user.

FIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment of a system that provides specialized media to a user on a content provider's website. System 100 includes a campaign server 101, content provider server 102, campaign media 103 a-103 d, third-party providers 105 a-105 d, a user computer 107, a browser 109, specialized media 111 and content provider media 112.

Campaign server 101 can be a server or a series of servers controlled by a marketing campaign provider that provides campaign media 103 a-103 d to one or more third-party providers 105 a-105 d. For example, the campaign server 101 can comprise a series of servers or a cloud service that can deliver the campaign media 103 a-103 d to other devices through a packet network (not shown). In some embodiments, the campaign server 101 can also provide specialized media 111 to a guest when the guest visits the content provider's website. In some embodiments, the campaign server 101 can collect campaign metrics and use the collected metrics to determine the specialized media 111 to present to the guest upon visiting the content provider's website. In some embodiments, the campaign server 101 can provide campaign media 103 a-103 d to the third-party providers 105 a-105 d that supplements other marketing campaign material presented to a user. For example, when the third-party provider 105 a-105 d presents an advertising banner provided by the content provider, the campaign server 101 can add campaign media 103 a-103 d to what the third-party provider 105 a-105 d presents in the form of a web bug that the campaign server 101 tracks. In some embodiments, the campaign server 101 can transmit tracking materials to the user computer 107. The tracking materials, such as web bugs, can be monitored and used to report the campaign media 103 a-103 d that the user accessed through the browser 109 at specific times. In some embodiments, specific trackers can be associated with specific marketing campaign materials so that the campaign server 101 can monitor multiple marketing campaigns. In some embodiments, the campaign server 101 can receive the tracking measurements made by the tracking materials and can collect data that measures the effectiveness of a media campaign by the exposure the of campaign media 103 a-103 d to users. In such instances, the campaign server 101 can report the collected data in the form of web analytics, statistical reports, and other forms to users of the campaign server 101.

Content provider server 102 can be a server or a series of servers controlled by the content provider that delivers content provider media 112 from the content provider. For example, the content provider server 102 can comprise a series of servers or a cloud service that can deliver the content provider media 112 to the user computer 107 through a packet network (not shown). In some embodiments, the content provider media 112 is stored on the content provider server 102. In other embodiments, the content provider server 102 receives the content provider media 112 from one or more devices within the intra-network of the content provider. In some embodiments, the content provider server 102 can also provide marketing content (e.g., advertising banners, content provider-created media) to one or more third-party providers 103 a-103 d (not shown). In such embodiments, the third-party provider 105 a-105 d can present the marketing content received from the content provider server 102 and associated campaign media 103 a-103 d received from the campaign server 101. In such instances, the campaign server 101 can track the user's exposure to the marketing content by tracking the associated campaign media 103 a-103 d.

Campaign media 103 a-103 d can be a discrete asset or assets that third-party providers 105 a-105 d receive from the campaign server 101 to present to a user through the browser 109 when the user visits the website of the third-party provider 105 a-105 d and is exposed to the marketing content of the content service provider. The third-party provider 105 a-105 d can be a website or web service controlled by an entity other than the marketing campaign provider and the content provider. In some instances, the content provider or media campaign provider can control an individual webpage within the third-party website, such as a content provider-controlled or media campaign provider-controlled sponsor page on a social media site like FACEBOOK, TWITTER, FLICKR, etc. In some embodiments, the marketing content is provided by a different party (i.e., third-party marketer).

In some embodiments, the campaign media 103 a-103 d can supplement an advertisement produced by the content provider or third-party marketer that is displayed on the website of the third-party provider 105 a-105 d. In such embodiments, the campaign media 103 a-103 d can be a web bug such as a 1×1 pixel, tag, web beacon, or HTML script that the campaign server 101 can monitor whenever the browser 109 downloads the campaign media 103 a-103 d. In other embodiments, the campaign media 103 a-103 d can be an asset that supplements a social media posting integrated within the main contents of the third-party provider 105 a-105 d site. For example, the campaign media 103 a can be web bug added to a picture posted on a third-party provider 105 a (FLICKR) page. In some embodiments, the content provider or third-party marketer can have its own sponsored page on a third-party social media site, such as FACEBOOK or TWITTER. In such embodiments, the campaign server 101 can add campaign media 103 a-103 d to material posted on the sponsored page.

In some embodiments, the campaign media 103 a-103 d can be content generated by the third-party provider 105 a-105 d that the third-party provider 105 a-105 d associates with the campaign. For example, the third-party provider 105 b can be a search engine that generates a search page 103 b that the third-party provider 105 b associates with a marketing campaign of the content provider. In one such instance, the content provider can be running a marketing campaign associated with a specific shoe it produces. The third-party search engine 105 b can generate a search results page 103 b that includes tracking material associated with the specific shoe when it receives from the browser 109 a search term or a search term from a group of associated search terms for the specific shoe. In other embodiments, the third-party provider 105 c can be a retail website or web service that sells the specific shoe on a product sale page that includes tracking material 103 c. The third-party provider 105 c can therefore associate the product sale page with the marketing campaign for the specific shoe. In other embodiments, the third-party provider 105 d can be an Internet service that directly delivers the campaign media 103 d and marketing content to the user outside of the web browser 109. For example, the third-party provider 103 d can be an e-mail, podcast, stand-alone application, or video delivery service that pushes the campaign media 103 d within an e-mail, audio file, or video file that the user to accesses when the user accesses the web service 105 d.

User computer 107 can be, for example, a desktop, laptop, tablet computer, or smart phone that can receive media and related assets through a packet network. In some embodiments, the user computer 107 can include a browser 109 that displays websites and downloads assets from the campaign server 101, the content provider server 102, and the third-party providers 105 a-105 d. In other embodiments, the user computer 107 can include a web service that receives the campaign media 103 a-103 d from the third-party provider 105 a-105 d outside of the browser 109. Browser 109 can be a program on the user computer 107 that displays media and assets transmitted from the third-party provider 105 a-105 d. The web browser 109 can display the marketing content, the campaign media 103 a-103 b, and other material transmitted from the third-party provider 105 a-105 d when the user accesses the content provider's website. In some embodiments, the browser 109 does not display the campaign media 103 a-103 d. This can occur when the campaign media 103 a-103 d is an imperceptible asset, such as a tag or transparent pixel.

Specialized media 111 can be marketing content and/or campaign media 103 a-103 d that the campaign server 101 provides to the browser 109 when the user visits the website of the content provider. In some embodiments, the specialized media 111 can be based on previous campaign media 103 a-103 d that the third-party providers 105 a-105 d presented to the user. In such instances, the campaign server 101 can track the user's previous exposure through tracking materials like tracking cookies or web bugs that were transmitted to the user computer 107 when it was exposed to the campaign media 103 a-103 d. In some embodiments, the campaign server 101 can present “default” specialized media 111 when the browser 109 did not download any campaign media 103 a-103 d. In some embodiments, the specialized media 111 can be an overlay that the browser 109 displays over the content provider media 112. In some embodiments, the browser 109 can display the specialized media 111 as a component of the content provider media 112. For example, the content provider media 112 can include a dynamic box (e.g., embedded banner) or area whose contents is populated by the specialized media 111. In some embodiments, the specialized media 111 can be a popup, such as a popup advertisement or an application, such as an online chat window with an agent device (not shown).

Content provider media 112 can be media that the content provider server 102 delivers to the browser 109. For example, when the browser 109 requests access to the content provider's website, the content provider server 102 transmits the content provider media 112 to the browser 109. In some embodiments, the content provider media 112 can be displayed within the browser 109. In other embodiments, the content provider media 112 can be transmitted to the user computer 107 outside of the browser 109, such as e-mail, audio and video delivery services, or other web applications. As will be discussed in further detail below, the content provider media 112 can be presented with specialized media 111 whose contents can be based on the campaign media 103 a-103 b that was previously delivered to the browser 109. In some embodiments, the campaign server 101 can control the specialized media 111 that is delivered through the browser 109 through a content management system (CMS). In such instances, the CMS can be a component of the campaign server 101, or can be a separate device connected to the campaign server 101.

FIG. 2 illustrates an embodiment of a system that provides specialized media 111 to a user on a content provider's website based on the user's previous exposure to the marketing campaign. System 200 is similar to system 100, with system 200 including campaign media 203 a-203 e, third-party providers 205 a-205 e, user computer 207, browser 209, specialized media 211, content provider media 112 and campaign media ranking point 215. System 200 includes the contribution from various third-party providers 205 a-205 e the browser 209 accesses over a specified period that the campaign server 101 measures before delivering the specialized media 111.

In the illustrative embodiment, the user accesses multiple websites on a first day through the browser 209. For example, the browser 209 can access third-party-controlled website 205 a that contains a marketing campaign advertisement with campaign media 203 a, along with a third-party social media website 205 b that includes a content provider sponsor page that has campaign media 203 b as part of its contents. In some embodiments, the campaign media 203 a-203 d can be associated with different marketing campaigns from the same content provider. For example, the third-party provider 205 a can provide an advertisement and associated campaign media 203 a associated with a marketing campaign for a soccer show (“soccer campaign”). On the same day, when the browser visits the third-party provider 205 b, it can present a social media page and campaign media 203 b associated with a marketing campaign for basketball apparel (“basketball campaign”). In the illustrative embodiment, the campaign server 101 can track the browser 109 downloading the campaign media 203 a-203 b. In some embodiments, the campaign server 101 can measure the effectiveness of the associated marketing campaigns by tracking the campaign media 203 a-203 b.

In the illustrative embodiment, during the following days, the browser 209 can access to other third-party providers 205 c-205 e. The third-party providers 205 c-205 e can include campaign media 203 c-203 e that could be associated with the same marketing campaigns as the campaign media 203 a-203 b. For example, campaign media 203 c can be included a retail page 205 c for the soccer shoe and associated with the soccer campaign, while campaign media 203 d-203 e can be included with separate advertisements on third-party providers 205 d-205 e for the basketball apparel and be associated with the basketball campaign.

At a later time, the browser 209 can request access to the content provider-controlled website. For example, in the illustrative embodiment, the browser 209 on the user computer 207 requests access to the content provider website on a day subsequent to downloading the campaign media 203 a-203 e from various third-party providers 205 a-205 e. In some embodiments, the user did not engage with any of the campaign media 203 a-203 e on the previous days; for example, the user abstained from clicking on the basketball apparel advertisements on third-party providers 205 d-205 e. The campaign server 101 can use its tracking of the browser 209 downloading previous the campaign media 203 a-203 e to determine what to transmit to the browser 209 as specialized media 211 while the content provider server 102 delivers the content provider media 212.

For example, at the ranking point 215, the campaign server 101 can use a ranking formula based on the campaign media 203 a-203 e delivered to the browser 209 to determine the type of content to deliver to the browser 209 as specialized media 211. In the illustrative embodiment, the campaign server 101 tracked that the user was exposed to the soccer campaign when the browser 209 downloaded the campaign media 203 a and 203 c, while the user was also exposed to the basketball campaign when the browser 209 downloaded the campaign media 203 b, 203 d, and 203 e. Based on the higher previous exposure to the basketball campaign, the campaign server 101 can therefore deliver specialized media 211 that is associated with the basketball campaign, such as a basketball advertisement, or a link to a basketball apparel product page. In other embodiments, the campaign server 101 can include other factors in its content display ranking formula, such as the number of days lapsed from previous exposure, the type of marketing campaign media downloaded, the third-party provider 205 a-205 e that included the campaign media 203 a-203 e. Such factors are not exclusive and can include other factors not listed.

FIG. 3 illustrates a flowchart for an embodiment of a method of providing specialized media to a user on a content provider's website. A campaign server 101 can implement method 300 when determining which content to deliver to a browser 109 when the browser 109 requests access to a website or web service controlled by the content provider. Method 300 can start at step 301 and proceed to step 303, where the media campaign provider through the campaign server 101 produces the campaign media 103 a-103 d. In some embodiments, the campaign media 103 a-103 d is produced and stored on the campaign server 101. In some embodiments, the campaign server 101 delivers the campaign media 103 a-103 d to the third-party provider 105 a-105 d that stores the campaign media 103 a-103 d on its own servers.

Method 300 can proceed to step 305, where the campaign media 103 a-103 d is delivered to the user computer 107. In some embodiments, the campaign server 101 produces and delivers the campaign media 103 a-103 d through the third-party provider 105 a-105 d at the time as the browser 109 accesses the third-party provider 105 a-105 d. In some embodiments, the third-party provider 105 a-105 d can deliver the campaign media 103 a-103 d it stored on its servers. In some embodiments, the campaign server 101 can transmit the campaign media 103 a-103 d to supplement marketing content that the third-party provider 105 a-105 d delivers to the browser 109.

The campaign server 101 can proceed to step 307, where it determines whether the user attempts to connect to the content provider-controlled website or web service through the campaign media marketing campaign content associated with the 103 a-103 d that was delivered to the user. For example, the campaign server 101 can determine whether the user has clicked on a campaign advertisement associated with the campaign media 103 a to connect to the content provider's website. If the campaign server 101 determines that the user attempted to connect to the website, the campaign server 101 can then proceed to step 323, where the campaign server 101 delivers specialized media 111 when the browser 109 reaches the content provider's website based on the campaign media 103 a. In the illustrative embodiment, the campaign server 101 can deliver specialized media 111 based solely on the campaign media 103 a. If, at step 307, the campaign server 101 determines that the user did not attempt a connection to the content provider's website or web service through the marketing campaign content, the campaign server 101 can proceed to step 309.

In step 309, the campaign media 103 a-103 d can be associated with the user. In some embodiments, the campaign media 103 a-103 d in the form of tracking material like a web bug or tracking cookie can be stored on the user computer 107 once downloaded by the browser 109. In some embodiments, the user computer 107 can accumulate multiple tracking assets from the campaign media 103 a-103 d that can be associated with one or more of the content provider's marketing campaigns. The stored tracking material can be deleted, with the campaign server 101 collecting the data from the plurality of campaign media 103 a-103 d to gain greater accuracy when tracking the browser's 109 downloads over time.

At a later time, the campaign server 101 can, at step 311, receive an indication that the browser 109 of the user sent a request from the user to access content provider-controlled website or web service. In some embodiments, the period between the user's attempted access to the third-party provider 105 a-105 d and the content provider's website can be as short as a few seconds, or could be as long as multiple months. The campaign server 101 can then proceed to step 313, where it determines whether the user requesting access to the website has been tracked using the campaign media 103 a-103 d. In some embodiments, the campaign server 101 can determine whether tracking material has been stored to the user computer 107 requesting access to the content provider's website or web service. If the campaign server 101 determines that the tracking material is not stored, the campaign server 101 can proceed to step 315, where the campaign server 101 delivers a default version of the specialized media 111 that is not based on any previous exposure by the browser 109 to any campaign media 103 a-103 d. The campaign server 101 can then end method 300 at step 317.

If, at step 313, the campaign server 101 determines that the tracking material is stored, the campaign server 101 can proceed to step 321, where it selects a top-ranking campaign media associated with the user. In some embodiments, the top-ranking campaign media can be associated with the campaign media 103 a-103 d that the browser 109 downloaded over multiple occurrences, such as campaign media 203 a associated with the soccer marketing campaign. In some embodiments, the top-ranking campaign media can be a specific campaign asset 103 a-103 d to which the user was previously exposed. In some embodiments, the campaign server 101 can use a ranking formula to determine the top-ranking campaign media. The ranking formula used by the content provider server 101 can incorporate a number of factors, including, for example, the third-party provider 105 a-105 d accessed, the number of times campaign media 103 a-103 d was exposed to a user, the type of campaign media 103 a-103 d exposed to a user, the period between exposure to the campaign media 103 a-103 d and access to the content provider's website or web service.

Once the top-ranking campaign media is selected, the campaign server 101 can then proceed to step 323, where the campaign server 101 delivers the specialized media 111 based on the top-ranked campaign media. For example, when the campaign server 101 determines that the top-ranking campaign media associated with the basketball marketing campaign, the campaign server 101 can deliver to the user computer 107 specialized media 111 to supplement the content provider media 112. Such specialized media 11 can include, for example, basketball scores, basketball articles, basketball ticket offers, as well as sales, advertisements, and retail pages for the basketball apparel to which the user was previously exposed. Once the campaign server 101 delivers the content provider content 111 to the user computer 107, the content provider server can end method 300 at step 317.

The above-described techniques can be implemented in digital and/or analog electronic circuitry, or in computer hardware, firmware, software, or in combinations of them. The implementation can be as a computer program product, i.e., a computer program tangibly embodied in a machine-readable storage device, for execution by, or to control the operation of, a data processing apparatus, e.g., a programmable processor, a computer, and/or multiple computers. A computer program can be written in any form of computer or programming language, including source code, compiled code, interpreted code and/or machine code, and the computer program can be deployed in any form, including as a stand-alone program or as a subroutine, element, or other unit suitable for use in a computing environment. A computer program can be deployed to be executed on one computer or on multiple computers at one or more sites.

Method steps can be performed by one or more processors executing a computer program to perform functions of the invention by operating on input data and/or generating output data. Method steps can also be performed by, and an apparatus can be implemented as, special purpose logic circuitry, e.g., a FPGA (field programmable gate array), a FPAA (field-programmable analog array), a CPLD (complex programmable logic device), a PSoC (Programmable System-on-Chip), ASIP (application-specific instruction-set processor), or an ASIC (application-specific integrated circuit), or the like. Subroutines can refer to portions of the stored computer program and/or the processor, and/or the special circuitry that implement one or more functions.

Processors suitable for the execution of a computer program include, by way of example, both general and special purpose microprocessors, and any one or more processors of any kind of digital or analog computer. Generally, a processor receives instructions and data from a read-only memory or a random access memory or both. The essential elements of a computer are a processor for executing instructions and one or more memory devices for storing instructions and/or data. Memory devices, such as a cache, can be used to temporarily store data. Memory devices can also be used for long-term data storage. Generally, a computer also includes, or is operatively coupled to receive data from or transfer data to, or both, one or more mass storage devices for storing data, e.g., magnetic, magneto-optical disks, or optical disks. A computer can also be operatively coupled to a communications network in order to receive instructions and/or data from the network and/or to transfer instructions and/or data to the network. Computer-readable storage mediums suitable for embodying computer program instructions and data include all forms of volatile and non-volatile memory, including by way of example semiconductor memory devices, e.g., DRAM, SRAM, EPROM, EEPROM, and flash memory devices; magnetic disks, e.g., internal hard disks or removable disks; magneto-optical disks; and optical disks, e.g., CD, DVD, HD-DVD, and Blu-ray disks. The processor and the memory can be supplemented by and/or incorporated in special purpose logic circuitry.

To provide for interaction with a user, the above described techniques can be implemented on a computer in communication with a display device, e.g., plasma display or LCD (liquid crystal display), for displaying information to the user, and a keyboard and a pointing device, e.g., a mouse, a trackball, a touchpad, or a motion sensor, by which the user can provide input to the computer (e.g., interact with a user interface element). Other kinds of devices can be used to provide for interaction with a user as well; for example, feedback provided to the user can be any form of sensory feedback, e.g., visual feedback, auditory feedback, or tactile feedback; and input from the user can be received in any form, including acoustic, speech, and/or tactile input.

The above described techniques can be implemented in a distributed computing system that includes a back-end component. The back-end component can, for example, be a data server, a middleware component, and/or an application server. The above described techniques can be implemented in a distributed computing system that includes a front-end component. The front-end component can, for example, be a client computer having a graphical user interface, a Web browser through which a user can interact with an example implementation, and/or other graphical user interfaces for a transmitting device. The above described techniques can be implemented in a distributed computing system that includes any combination of such back-end, middleware, or front-end components.

The components of the computing system can be interconnected by transmission medium, which can include any form or medium of digital or analog data communication (e.g., a communication network). Transmission medium can include one or more packet-based networks and/or one or more circuit-based networks in any configuration. Packet-based networks can include, for example, the Internet, a carrier internet protocol (IP) network (e.g., local area network (LAN), wide area network (WAN), campus area network (CAN), metropolitan area network (MAN), home area network (HAN)), a private IP network, an IP private branch exchange (IPBX), a wireless network (e.g., radio access network (RAN), Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, WiMAX, general packet radio service (GPRS) network, HiperLAN), and/or other packet-based networks. Circuit-based networks can include, for example, the public switched telephone network (PSTN), a legacy private branch exchange (PBX), a wireless network (e.g., RAN, code-division multiple access (CDMA) network, time division multiple access (TDMA) network, global system for mobile communications (GSM) network), and/or other circuit-based networks.

Information transfer over transmission medium can be based on one or more communication protocols. Communication protocols can include, for example, Ethernet protocol, Internet Protocol (IP), Voice over IP (VOIP), a Peer-to-Peer (P2P) protocol, Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), Session Initiation Protocol (SIP), H.323, Media Gateway Control Protocol (MGCP), Signaling System #7 (SS7), a Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) protocol, a Push-to-Talk (PTT) protocol, a PTT over Cellular (POC) protocol, and/or other communication protocols.

Devices of the computing system can include, for example, a computer, a computer with a browser device, a telephone, an IP phone, a mobile device (e.g., cellular phone, personal digital assistant (PDA) device, laptop computer, electronic mail device), and/or other communication devices. The browser device includes, for example, a computer (e.g., desktop computer, laptop computer) with a World Wide Web browser (e.g., Microsoft® Internet Explorer® available from Microsoft Corporation, Mozilla® Firefox available from Mozilla Corporation). Mobile computing device include, for example, a Blackberry®. IP phones include, for example, a Cisco® Unified IP Phone 7985G available from Cisco Systems, Inc, and/or a Cisco® Unified Wireless Phone 7920 available from Cisco Systems, Inc.

While the technology has been particularly shown and described with reference to specific illustrative embodiments, it should be understood that various changes in form and detail may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the technology. 

1-10. (canceled)
 11. A computer-implemented method, comprising: storing, by a server, one or more content objects associated with a content provider, wherein a content object is accessible using a plurality of resources, wherein a resource facilitates presenting a content object at a computing device, and wherein a content object includes tracking data that causes a tracking asset to be associated with a computing device; receiving a plurality of requests to access a content object associated with the content provider, wherein a request is received using a resource of the plurality of resources, and wherein when a request is received from a computing device, the content object is transmitted to the computing device using the same resource; tracking access to the content object using the tracking asset associated with the computing device, wherein when the content object is accessed by the computing device using a resource, the tracking asset tracks access to the content object; generating exposure data associated with the content object, wherein the exposure data indicates that the content object was accessed by the computing device using one or more resources, and wherein the exposure data is generated using the tracked access to the content object by resources accessing the content object; determining that a content provider website is being accessed, wherein the content provider website is associated with the content provider; and customizing the content provider website, wherein customizing the content provider website includes comparing the exposure data associated with the content object with exposure data associated with one or more other content objects to choose specialized content for the content provider website.
 12. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, wherein the exposure associated with the content object indicates a number of times the content object was accessed by the computing device over a period of time.
 13. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, wherein customizing the content provider website further comprises: ranking a plurality of content objects, wherein ranking the plurality of content objects includes using a ranking formula and the exposure data associated with the content item, and wherein ranking the plurality of content objects includes comparing the exposure associated with the plurality of content objects.
 14. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, wherein the resource is a web service controlled by an entity other than the content provider.
 15. The computer-implemented method of claim 14, wherein the specialized content is transmitted using a communication channel, wherein the content object is accessed using an additional communication channel that is different from the communication channel.
 16. The computer-implemented method of claim 15, wherein the additional communication channel facilitates receiving and displaying the specialized content using a web browser, and wherein the communication channel facilitates receiving any one of an e-mail, a podcast, an audio file, and a video file.
 17. A system, comprising: one or more data processors; and a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium containing instructions which, when executed on the one or more data processors, cause the one or more data processors to perform operations including: storing, by a server, one or more content objects associated with a content provider, wherein a content object is accessible using a plurality of resources, wherein a resource facilitates presenting a content object at a computing device, and wherein a content object includes tracking data that causes a tracking asset to be associated with a computing device; receiving a plurality of requests to access a content object associated with the content provider, wherein a request is received using a resource of the plurality of resources, and wherein when a request is received from a computing device, the content object is transmitted to the computing device using the same resource; tracking access to the content object using the tracking asset associated with the computing device, wherein when the content object is accessed by the computing device using a resource, the tracking asset tracks access to the content object; generating exposure data associated with the content object, wherein the exposure data indicates that the content object was accessed by the computing device using one or more resources, and wherein the exposure data is generated using the tracked access to the content object by resources accessing the content object; determining that a content provider website is being accessed, wherein the content provider website is associated with the content provider; and customizing the content provider website, wherein customizing the content provider website includes comparing the exposure data associated with the content object with exposure data associated with one or more other content objects to choose specialized content for the content provider website.
 18. The system of claim 17, wherein the exposure associated with the content object indicates a number of times the content object was accessed by the computing device over a period of time.
 19. The system of claim 17, wherein customizing the content provider website further comprises: ranking a plurality of content objects, wherein ranking the plurality of content objects includes using a ranking formula and the exposure data associated with the content item, and wherein ranking the plurality of content objects includes comparing the exposure associated with the plurality of content objects.
 20. The system of claim 17, wherein the resource is a web service controlled by an entity other than the content provider.
 21. The system of claim 20, wherein the specialized content is transmitted using a communication channel, wherein the content object is accessed using an additional communication channel that is different from the communication channel.
 22. The system of claim 21, wherein the additional communication channel facilitates receiving and displaying the specialized content using a web browser, and wherein the communication channel facilitates receiving any one of an e-mail, a podcast, an audio file, and a video file.
 23. A computer-program product tangibly embodied in a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium, including instructions configured to cause a data processing apparatus to perform operations including: storing, by a server, one or more content objects associated with a content provider, wherein a content object is accessible using a plurality of resources, wherein a resource facilitates presenting a content object at a computing device, and wherein a content object includes tracking data that causes a tracking asset to be associated with a computing device; receiving a plurality of requests to access a content object associated with the content provider, wherein a request is received using a resource of the plurality of resources, and wherein when a request is received from a computing device, the content object is transmitted to the computing device using the same resource; tracking access to the content object using the tracking asset associated with the computing device, wherein when the content object is accessed by the computing device using a resource, the tracking asset tracks access to the content object; generating exposure data associated with the content object, wherein the exposure data indicates that the content object was accessed by the computing device using one or more resources, and wherein the exposure data is generated using the tracked access to the content object by resources accessing the content object; determining that a content provider website is being accessed, wherein the content provider website is associated with the content provider; and customizing the content provider website, wherein customizing the content provider website includes comparing the exposure data associated with the content object with exposure data associated with one or more other content objects to choose specialized content for the content provider website.
 24. The computer-program product of claim 23, wherein the exposure associated with the content object indicates a number of times the content object was accessed by the computing device over a period of time.
 25. The computer-program product of claim 23, wherein customizing the content provider website further comprises: ranking a plurality of content objects, wherein ranking the plurality of content objects includes using a ranking formula and the exposure data associated with the content item, and wherein ranking the plurality of content objects includes comparing the exposure associated with the plurality of content objects.
 26. The computer-program product of claim 23, wherein the resource is a web service controlled by an entity other than the content provider.
 27. The computer-program product of claim 26, wherein the specialized content is transmitted using a communication channel, wherein the content object is accessed using an additional communication channel that is different from the communication channel.
 28. The computer-program product of claim 27, wherein the additional communication channel facilitates receiving and displaying the specialized content using a web browser, and wherein the communication channel facilitates receiving any one of an e-mail, a podcast, an audio file, and a video file. 